China-Sarawak ties further enhanced
KUCHING: The close cooperation and ties between China and Sarawak have been further enhanced through the efforts of the Sarawak government and its people.
Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Kuching Cheng Guangzhong said this when opening a seminar on ‘The Four Decades of China Reform and Opening-up and Cooperation between China and Sarawak Malaysia’ here yesterday.
He added that many important agreements in the fields of infrastructure, production capital cooperation and tourism were signed during the visit by Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and senior government officials to China recently.
‘A series of large-scale projects had been launched including the coal-fired power station project in Balingian and Longji solar manufacturing in Kuching.”
He further added that Sarawak has become a friendly state for Yunan and Fujian Province.
Besides, he said the relationship between Malaysia and China had witnessed substantial development with China being Malaysia’s largest trading partner and source of foreign investment in the manufacturing sector.
“The past 40 years is one of the most glorious periods in China’s 5,000-year history where huge impact changes have taken place in China,” said Cheng.
Meanwhile at the same event, Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said that trading between China and Sarawak could be traced back to the ancient time during the Tang and Sung dynasties.
“China and Sarawak have strong historical and cultural ties, close kinship relationship and intimate people-to-people relationship,” said Wong who was representing Abang Johari.
“Malaysia under the new federal government will continue to look at China as development and business partner. We in Sarawak will do the same,” he said despite the disputes over the contracts that Malaysia and China had entered into under the previous Malaysian government.
“The close relationship between China and Sarawak had contributed to the establishment of organisations such as ChinaSarawak cultural bodies, Sarawak-China Import and Export Association and Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry,” he added.
Wong also said that more than 500 entrepreneurs from Sarawak and China attended the SarawakChina Business Forum 2018 held on Aug 6 and 7 this year.
As of September this year, he said that the total trade between Sarawak and China stood at RM12.6 billion, an increase of 10.4 per cent compared to the same period in 2017.
The keynote speakers at the seminar were Bank of China (Malaysia) chief executive officer (CEO) Wang Hongwei, The Association of the Boards of Management of Aided Chinese Primary Schools Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions Sarawak president Jonathan Chai Voon Tok, China Machinery Engineering Corporation on-site manager and senior engineer Zhao Xuejun, SEB Power Sdn Bhd CEO Ung Sing Kwong and International Times deputy director Lee Fook Onn.
Also present were Cheng’s wife Gao Cuilian and Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.